"THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF DREAMING UP YOUR OWN PERSONAL SHADE THAT MAKES A LIPSTICK SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PRECIOUS"

Why We Tried It:Let’s be honest — there’s nothing that feels more luxe than having your beauty products made individually for you. So when I came across the opportunity design my own lipstick shade and have a foundation blended specifically for my skin tone, I had to see if they lived up to my expectations.

Level of Difficulty:3

1. Custom lipstick from Finding Ferdinand

When a friend first told me about Finding Ferdinand, a website that enables you to custom design your own lipstick shades, I was beyond excited. As a beauty editor, hundreds of lipsticks come across my desk every month — and don’t get me wrong, I love them all. But there’s something about the experience of dreaming up your own personal shade that makes a lipstick significantly more precious than most luxe products I’ve swiped on my lips. Add the convenience factor of being able to create it at my desk, and I couldn’t sign up fast enough.

After arriving to the site, you’re faced with the option to shop the brand’s already-blended lipsticks or create your own. Of course, I chose the latter, and opted to make a few mini shades for $6 apiece as I wasn’t feeling super-decisive (the full-sized bullets are $30, which is still a major bargain for a customized product).

To choose your shade, it’s pretty simple: you click on the colors you want to add (you can choose four out of 14 options), and dial them up or down to the intensity you want the shade to be. There, you can see how your color will turn out — and can make it darker, lighter, brighter, and so on, until it’s absolutely perfect.

The process couldn’t be easier, and their customer service is flawless — I was told (via Facebook!) where my products were and when they’d arrive. And when they did make it to me, I instantly became hooked to the creamy satin finish that’s not too shiny or too matte, and of course, the shades — which were exactly as I designed them to be. It’s safe to say I’ll be using Finding Ferdinand as my go-to lipstick source from now on — and with the holidays coming up, it’s the perfect personalized gift for friends and family.